Alec Hogg’s Inbox: Our North Star is rationality
Quite a few questions were posed in this email from Jean le Riche, who opens the door for me to repeat BizNews's purpose. I guess it's tough in an age where most reporters take sides, fashioning themselves as crusaders, to appreciate there are some that reject that approach. For us, journalism is precisely what the word suggests – every story has two sides, debits and credits; the two faces of Janus. Our North Star is rationality – that means we strive for helping our audience to achieve balance in this chaotic world. We facilitate this through distributing information to an audience whose intelligence we never under-estimate. We have no agenda beyond exploration, discovery and promoting open-mindedness. Because today's conspiracy theory is often tomorrow's widely accepted scandal. Members of the community we serve share perspectives which we are happy to republish. We do so from the basis that our species has progressed by continuously challenging widely-held beliefs. BizNews is a platform for globally-minded South Africans. Period.
Back to Jean who writes:
"Your news seem to be biased in favour of antivax and Ivermectin and I seriously consider unsubscribing despite enjoying Biznews for a long time. I understand that by keeping a debate like this lively ensure you get readers but the problem is that people read into things what they want and probably scan for others to fit their narrative. No doubt that vaccines saved millions of lives, still do and will in the future. Everybody shouts that big pharma stand to make a fortune out of this, firstly so what? They make anyway but if it's the only way out of it we should grab it now, secondly the AZ vaccine was sponsored by the UK Gov and sold cheaply at cost, could have saved thousands of lives in SA despite the reservations they had.
"Why don't you rather concentrate your news on how successful the UK vaccination program was in containing Covid, you are well acquainted with it I'm sure. Facts about the vaccines would be a welcome change. Don't blame me for wondering whether you maybe serve another mysterious interest?
There's no but no value in this, it's his opinion/observations and not based on any facts whatsoever: 'I know numerous people, including myself, who have taken Ivermectin as a prophylactic and not one has tested positive to Covid'.
"Take this sentence for example which create the impression that their Covid were caused by the jab or at least that it didn't prevent them from getting it, which may be true or probably aren't really true: 'that I also know a family of nine who had a different shot that I also won't disclose, who all developed Covid after and the grandfather is now on life support'.
Although presented as facts it's merely his perception of events, again let it sounds like the jab either didn't work or at worst caused his Covid, the treatment could have or couldn't have saved his life. The pulmonologists treatment probably/thankfully saved his life but to implicate that Ivermectin saved his life is ridicules although I agree that there may be some value in it but the jab being a remote possibility in SA for which only the Gov can be blamed: There's no clinical proof, he may even have recovered without them: 'As an aside, my dentist who had his first shot (I will refrain from mentioning the type) developed full-blown Covid and was admitted to ICU in critical condition. The photo of him at that stage was not a pretty sight. 4 days later, the follow-up picture looked like a makeover. He credits the pulmonologist in stating that "he saved my life." He was given 4 days of 12mg Ivermectin, in addition to prednisone (very important), zinc, vitamin C and 5000 units of vitamin D (anyone who can afford this and doesn't take this should ask themselves why) and also heparin to stop blood clots. 6 days after being at death's door he was discharged. He says there is no chance he will have the second vaccination'.
Here's some useful information from John Fuller of Plettenberg Bay who wrote in response to Friday's newsletter:
I read your articles from subscribers regarding Covid this morning, together with claims of people getting Covid after being inoculated. The general public seems to believe that vaccines contain the virus, which of course is not so. I am providing this link to an article that may be of interest to your subscribers. It summarises the difference between the vaccines, what they contain, how they work, etc, and dispels myths that the general public may have regarding vaccines. Please also view the summarised Explainer Chart here
And finally today, some wisdom from John Harker who writes…
As a scientist, 77yo, I have often used the "Literature" as references. In most cases it is generated in a rush by authors who have a deadline, or by writers who take years to investigate topics. There is a vast body of excellent work, of course, that has been proven to be a great asset.
I have colleagues and friends who have had Covid and have used an array of medications very successfully. I know people who have ended up in hospitals where the people were dying around them, with minimal skilled staff looking after them. They survived and discharged themselves because they felt conditions were too dangerous.
On the other side, so much good work has been done by excellent skilled and compassionate staff. Although there are excellent people doing excellent work for the good of mankind, we do need good information from both sides of the coin.
Most results are based on respectable work but we also need to understand that often the work is not perfect. I have heard from non-prescribing intelligent people that prednisone is excellent but the risks are high too.
If the "flu" is going to arrive every year in a slightly different form we have an excellent market for very big organisations. Few people have the typical seasonal year after year flu and suddenly the sale of the usual medications are lying on shelves in pharmacies. It seems like a good answer that all would be taking the precautions now in place.
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